1 Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a general purpose connector which can prevent mis-insertion of a mating connector and to a connecting method therefor.
2 Background Art
In general, a conventional connector has, for example, a base and fixed walls being connected to the base and surrounding a rectangular space, that rectangular space functions as a receiving space accepting a mating connector, so that the terminals located in the receiving space and the terminals of the mating connector are connected.
In the case of the conventional connector described above, the width of the receiving space i.e. arrangement of the terminals cannot be freely changed since the surrounding walls are fixed on the base, therefore, connectors must be respectively made corresponding to the arrangement of the terminals to be connected. As a result, many kinds of connectors each of which has a specific terminal arrangement must be constructed in order to achieve proper connections with each of the mating connectors with specific terminal arrangements, which leads to increased development costs and to complicated inventory control.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector and a connecting method therefor with which development costs can be reduced, and inventory can be easily controlled, and with which it is easy to deal with mating terminals temporarily modified for the purpose of maintenance of or prototype stage for an apparatus having those connectors, even when a plurality of terminal arrangements are required.
In order to achieve the above object, a connector according to claim 1 in the present invention comprises a connector housing having a base including a terminal mounting portion and having at least a pair of walls formed on the base; and a plurality of partitions being inserted into the connector housing and thus forming receiving spaces, together with the connector housing for receiving mating connectors, being suitable for the terminal arrangement of the mating connector, wherein mis-insertion prevention means are formed on the partitions to prevent either incorrect insertion as a result of receiving the wrong mating connector having the same terminal arrangement or reversed insertion as a result of receiving a corresponding mating connector in a reversed orientation.
As described above, as a result of inserting the partitions into the connector housing, the connector housing and the partitions form the receiving spaces, for receiving the mating connectors, each of which is suitable for the terminal arrangement of a designated mating connector. Therefore, it is possible to provide a plurality of terminal arrangements each of which is suitable for a designated mating connector having a specific terminal arrangement simply by inserting the partitions in appropriate positions using the same connector housing. As a result, development costs can be reduced and inventory can be easily controlled even when a plurality of terminal arrangements are required. In addition, it is easy to deal with mating connectors temporarily modified for the purpose of maintenance of or prototype stage for an apparatus having those connectors.
Furthermore, due to the mis-insertion prevention means, either incorrect insertion as a result of receiving the wrong mating connector having the same terminal arrangement or reversed insertion as a result of receiving a corresponding mating connector in a reversed orientation can be prevented. The same connector housings can be used in a variety of applications since the mis-insertion prevention means are formed on the partitions. Thus, the prevention of mis-insertion is ensured. Development costs can be kept relatively low even with the mis-insertion prevention function. In addition, complicated inventory control can be avoided.
The general purpose connector according to claim 2 has a further feature in addition to those of the connector according to claim 1 in that a plurality of positioning guide means are formed at a constant pitch in said walls of said connector housing, and that said partitions are inserted into said connector housing while being guided by the corresponding positioning guide means.
By inserting the partitions into the connector housing while being guided by the corresponding positioning guide means which are formed at a constant pitch in the walls of the connector housing, the partitions and the connector housing form the receiving spaces, for receiving mating connectors, which are suitable for the terminal arrangement of each mating connector. It is possible to easily and accurately define the mounting position of the partitions relative to the connector housing.
The general purpose connector according to claim 3 has a further feature in addition to those of the connector according to claim 2 in that the positioning guide means are formed in the walls of the connector housing continuous from a position opposite to the base to the position of the base.
The partitions can be inserted into the connector housing in a stable manner since the positioning guide means are formed in the walls of the connector housing continuous from a position opposite to the base to the position of the base. As a result, workability during insertion of the partitions into the connector housing is improved, and shifting in the position of the partitions relative to the connector housing can be prevented reliably.
The general purpose connector according to claim 4 has a further feature in addition to those of the connector according to claim 2 in that the positioning guide means are located at an intermediate position between the two adjacent terminal mounting portions.
The interference between the partitions and the terminals can be avoided since the positioning guide means are located at an intermediate position between the two adjacent terminal mounting portions.
The general purpose connector according to claim 5 is a connector according to claim 1 further comprises cross partitions, wherein the cross partitions are fitted perpendicular to the partitions and thus form receiving space segments together with the connector housing.
The cross partitions, the partitions and the connector housing thus form the receiving space segments by fitting the cross partitions perpendicular to the partitions. The receiving space segments are arranged in both row and column directions. Therefore, it is possible to cope with a situation in which a plurality of terminal arrangements are required in both the row and the column directions.
The general purpose connector according to claim 6 has a further feature in addition to those of the connector according to claim 5 in that the partitions and the cross partitions have cross positioning guide means with which mutual positioning of the partitions and the cross partitions can be changed by regular intervals.
It is possible to easily and accurately define the mounting position of the partitions and the cross partitions since the partitions and the cross partitions have cross positioning guide means with which mutual positioning of the partitions and the cross partitions can be changed by regular intervals.
The general purpose connector according to claim 7 has a further feature in addition to those of the connector according to claim 1 in that the partitions have a pair of arms which respectively make contact with the outer surfaces of a pair of the walls of the connector housing, and that partition locking means are formed on the arms and on the walls of the connector housing in order to lock the partitions to the connector housing.
Deformation of the walls of the connector housing can be prevented since the partition has a pair of arms which respectively make contact with the outer surfaces of a pair of the walls of the. connector housing. Detachment of the partitions from the connector housing can be prevented since the partition locking means formed on the arms and on the walls of the connector housing lock the partitions to the connector housing. In addition, it is easy to release the locking since the partition locking means are formed on the arms and on the walls of the connector housing e.g. outside the connector housing. In this way, deformation of the connector housing is prevented, the mounting of the partitions in the connector housing is ensured and workability of releasing the locking is improved.
The general purpose connector according to claim 8 has a further feature in addition to those of the connector according to claim 1 in that the partitions and the connector housing has partition-reversed insertion prevention means which prevent the partitions from being inserted into the connector housing in a reversed orientation.
Due to the partition-reversed insertion prevention means, the insertion of the partitions reversed from their correct orientation is prevented. As a result, the mounting of the partitions in the connector housing in the proper orientation is ensured.
The general purpose connector according to claim 9 has a further feature in addition to those of the connector according to claim 1 in that the partitions have connector locking means which lock the mating connector being inserted into the receiving space to the partition.
The connector locking means lock the mating connector which is inserted into the receiving space, thus prevent detachment of the mating connector. The connector housing is not enlarged in a direction in which the walls are arranged because the connector locking means are formed not on the connector housing but on the partitions. The connection of the mating connector is thus ensured and enlargement of the connector housing in a direction in which the walls are arranged is avoided. As a result, it is possible to install, at high density and with small pitch, a plurality of connector housings in a direction in which the walls of the connector housing are arranged.
The general purpose connector according to claim 10 has a further feature in addition to those of the connector according to claim 1 in that terminals located in the terminal mounting portion are formed in a pin shape, and that the partitions have holes for receiving the terminals.
Based on this structure, the partitions can also be supported by the pin shaped terminals as a result of inserting the terminals arranged in the terminal mounting portion into the holes formed on the partitions. Thus, the mounting of the partitions in the connector housing is ensured, and shifting in the position of the partitions relative to the connector housing can be prevented reliably. In addition, the partitions can be mounted even when the terminal pitch is so small that partitions cannot be arranged in between the terminals.
The general purpose connector according to claim 11 has a further feature in addition to those of the connector according to claim 1 in that the connector housings can be connected to one another, and that the partitions and the connector housings have connecting means which connect the ends of the connector housings.
When mounting the partitions on the connecting housings arranged in series, the connecting means connect the connecting ends of the connector housings respectively. Thus, connection between the connector housings is ensured, and the walls are prevented from becoming weak due to having the connection area. In addition, since the partition also functions as a connecting member which connects the connector housings, the number of parts is limited compared with the case in which a separate member is provided to connect the connector housings.
The general purpose connector according to claim 12 has a further feature in addition to those of the connector according to claim 1 in that the partitions are made of metal, and that a shielding member made of metal is provided inside the connector housing.
Undesired electromagnetic waves, which are emitted by transmission of high frequency signals through signal-transmission lines, can be blocked by the partitions and the shielding member, so that an excellent shielding effect is achieved.
The method for connecting a general purpose connector according to claim 13 comprises the steps of providing a connector housing having a base and at least a pair of walls formed on the base, wherein a plurality of positioning guide means are formed at a constant pitch in the walls of the connector housing; inserting separated partitions into the connector housing with guidance by the corresponding positioning guide, means, and thereby forming receiving spaces, together with the connector housing for receiving mating connectors, each of which is suitable for the terminal arrangement of a designated mating connector; and preventing at least either incorrect insertion as a result of receiving the wrong mating connector having the same terminal arrangement or reversed insertion as a result of receiving a corresponding mating connector in a reversed orientation, by means of the particular shape of the partitions.
By means of inserting the partitions into the connector housing while being guided by the corresponding positioning guide means formed in the walls of the connector housing at a constant pitch, the receiving spaces are formed with the connector housing and the partitions for receiving mating connectors and are suitable for the terminal arrangement of each mating connector. Therefore, it is possible to provide a plurality of terminal arrangements each of which is suitable for a designated mating connector simply by inserting the partitions while being guided by the corresponding positioning guide means, even when a plurality of terminal arrangements are required to deal with different kinds of mating connectors. As a result, development costs can be reduced and inventory can be easily controlled even when a plurality of terminal arrangements are required. In addition, it is easy to deal with mating terminals temporarily modified for the purpose of maintenance of or prototype stage for an apparatus having those connectors.
In addition, due to the mis-insertion prevention means, either incorrect insertion as a result of receiving the wrong mating connector having the same terminal arrangement or reversed insertion as a result of receiving a corresponding mating connector in a reversed orientation can be prevented, thus the same connector housings can be used in a variety of applications. Therefore, development costs can be kept relatively low even with the addition of the mis-insertion prevention means and it is possible to avoid complicated inventory control.